HTC One A9s official: Updated metal mid-ranger drops display to 720p

HTC has announced the HTC One A9s, an updated version of its compact metal mid-range handset.

The HTC One A9 was something of a surprise for 2015. It was best known for the iPhone-alike looks, but there was no questioning the quality of the design and build. It was also the first phone from HTC to launch with a new software build – Android with HTC Sense.

The HTC One A9s repeats much of this, presenting a phone that's very similar in design, but the camera appears to have shifted to the corner, rather than sitting in the top-centre as it was previously.

Otherwise, the phone looks similar, although according to HTC's tech specs, it's slightly larger and slightly heavier, coming in at 7.99mm thick and weighing 149.8g.

However the spec sheet reveals some fairly hefty changes. Shifting away from Qualcomm, this is now powered by a MediaTek Helio P10 chipset. This is a mid-range octo-core chipset and we suspect it will be just as capable as the Snapdragon 617 it replaces.

The biggest shift, however, is in the display. From a full HD display, the HTC One A9s now appears to be offering a 720p display. That could impact on the visuals a little, however the shift in the display and chipset really indicate that HTC wants to make this a cheaper handset.

There's a 2300mAh battery and it supports fast charging. The A9 was surprisingly efficient and we have the same hopes for this handset. HTC said some of the efficiency came from optimised software and again we see Android Marshmallow with a very light HTC Sense pasted over the top.

There's a 13-megapixel camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel camera on the front. The rear camera will offer functions like RAW shooting, but doesn't stretch to 4K video capture.

HTC hasn't confirmed the price for the One A9s, but the One A9 was too expensive for its position in 2015. Hopefully, you'll now be able to get this wonderfully-built mid-ranger without paying top tier prices.